Safety & Compliance

Maryland Pushes Anti-Aggressive Driving Effort

July 17, 2013
• by Staff

Safety around trucks takes the spotlight in this summer’s Maryland’s Smooth Operator program. As a heat wave strikes the Baltimore area, the Smooth Operator program is working to put the chill on aggressive driving behaviors through education and enforcement waves of its own.

Aggressive driving is never a good idea, and it’s even worse around large commercial trucks. In the last five years, 299 people lost their lives and 12,951 people were injured on Maryland roads in crashes involving a large commercial truck or cross-country bus. Specifically, speeding, following too closely, weaving in and out of lanes, running stop signs and stop lights, and improper passing are all to blame. Because large trucks require more space to safely navigate, aggressive driving around large trucks can be particularly hazardous.

Crucial advice for driving around large, commercial trucks includes:

Allow plenty of distance between you and a truck.

Don’t forget that a car driver tailgating a truck cannot see the roadway ahead of that truck.

If a truck needs to suddenly slow or stop, the driver behind could be caught unaware if driving aggressively.Because a truck takes longer to stop than a car, most truck drivers attempt to leave extra space in front of them.

Car drivers that dart in front of trucks and into that safe stopping distance are putting themselves at risk.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators are nudging Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Ray Martinez to act swiftly to reform the hours-of-service rule to “provide needed flexibility for [truck] drivers.”

Estimates indicate that over 400 people may lose their lives and nearly 46,000 may be seriously injured while on the nation's roads this Memorial Day Weekend, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). For commercial fleets, safe driving messaging should start in the workplace.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will recall up to 2,457 2018 Ram 4500 and Ram 5500 chassis cab trucks for a potential defect that could result in loss of braking due to brake hose corrosion, the company has announced.

Volvo Trucks North America presented a new Volvo VNL 760 to representatives of the America’s Road Team program, reinforcing the truck maker’s support for the American Trucking Associations' safety outreach campaign.

The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, also known as the Trucking Alliance, announced it will push for congressional passage of a new drug testing law to require anyone who applies for a safety-sensitive job in the trucking industry to verify no opioid addiction or illegal drug use for at least 30 days prior to employment.